Chile Yazzie 'Dine' Veterans at Standing Rock -- Blizzard Sets In'

 Above: Navajo Vets for Standing Rock enroute to Standing Rock in Denver. Photo by Christian Johnson.

By Chili Yazzie 

Censored News
Dec 06 am 

Dine’ Warriors for Standing Rock Update: our Warriors got into camp to join the wintery cold but exultant celebration in great Solidarity of a battle won. Then the blizzard set in. They stayed in Oceti Sakowin greeting fellow Warriors, finding other Dine’ family, making new friends and forging alliances. Toward evening in the heavy snow fall, communications, logistics and camp coordination began to come apart, I suppose this is to be expected with up to 10,000 people in crazy weather where visibility became an issue. Our Dine’ Warriors had to find their way on their own to shelter for the night, some were able to get back to Kenel, 26 miles away where they stayed Sunday night, some ended up staying at the casino and the Rez tuff ones stayed at the SW Dine’ Sheep Camp at Oceti Sakowin. I commend Beverly Maxwell, USMC, one of our lead people from Shiprock for arranging transportation in all that chaos and making sure our Warriors had shelter and were safe.
They will all be back at the camp today. Travel out of camp is now restricted due to the weather and road conditions. We had serious negative issues with the bus company so we dumped them. Now the Veterans Stand for Standing Rock group, (who I am very glad to find is coordinated by my nephew Remy, son of Elsa Johnson of Black Mesa) is going to arrange transport for our Dine’ Warriors until Dec 8 or 9. It will take them at least a full day to get back, (our Denver family is having a friendly struggle to see who will give them a reception). But when they get home to the Rez, we will have Welcoming Home of our Dine’ Warriors ceremonies and celebration.
There is also a struggle in whether to break camp and have people go home to be with their families, as is being advised by Chairman Archambault, but some Warriors are saying they need to stay because we don’t know what the Destroyers will do, as we know they are conniving, deceitful, filthy rich and very determined. We understand both sides of these positions but we want our Dine’ Warriors to come home for now; if we must go back, we will but at a later time. I will make further comment on this struggle this evening.